Attack in One of Most Dangerous Countries: Pakistan Police Compound Attack Death Toll Reaches 31 After 21-Hour Standoff Ends

Pakistani security forces ended a 20- to 21-hour standoff with militants who carried out a suicide bombing and gun assault on a police compound in Kohat, Pakistan, one of the most dangerous countries, killing at least 31 people including 16 police officers and injuring more than 100. [2] [4] [5]

Attack on Kohat Police Compound

The attack began Friday when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a mosque at the gate of the Old Police Lines compound in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by armed militants storming the facility that houses the Counter Terrorism Department and Special Branch. [1] [2] [4] The incident occurred at about 1:15 p.m. local time when the bomber detonated the vehicle at the mosque adjacent to the gate. [4] Following the blast, seven armed terrorists infiltrated the Police Lines premises, and one of them blew himself up near a building housing offices of the Special Branch of police. [4] Two terrorists were killed shortly after entering the premises, while four others infiltrated the building. [4] The police compound serves as a district-level police headquarters, housing offices of the Counter Terrorism Department, Special Branch and several other police units. [2]

Casualties and Injuries

The death toll from an explosion and gun attack at a police headquarters in northern Pakistan rose to at least 31, including 16 police personnel. [2] As many as 31 people, including 16 police officers, were killed and over 100 others injured in a twin suicide attack inside a police residential compound. [4] More than 130 policemen and civilians were injured and shifted to various hospitals. [4] A statement from the Kohat district health officer late on Friday said that more than 100 people had been injured, the vast majority of them police personnel, and several were in a critical condition. [2] The death toll from a suicide bombing and subsequent militant attack has risen to 31, including 17 policemen, six civilians and eight terrorists. [4]

Security Forces Clearance Operation

Pakistani security forces on Saturday ended a standoff with militants holed up inside a police compound in northwestern Pakistan. [1] Pakistani security forces have ended a nearly 21-hour clearance operation at the Police Lines compound in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. [3] Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said eight attackers were killed during the operation. [3] In a statement issued Saturday, police said the clearance operation against the terrorists lasted about 21 hours, and during the operation, two terrorists were holed up on the first floor of the building and were killed in a clearance operation conducted early in the morning on the premises. [4] One more was killed in an exchange of fire, while another was badly burned and detonated his explosive vest. [4] Several militants are still holed up in the Special Branch section of the Kohat Police Complex. [2]

Militant Group Claims Responsibility

Local militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, a faction linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan — the Pakistani Taliban — has claimed responsibility for the attack. [2] Ittihadul Mujahideen Pakistan, a faction of the militant group led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the attack. [4]

Official Condemnations and Response

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack on Friday evening, expressing “deep sorrow and regret over the injury of several people as a result of the blast.” [2] He directed the “best medical assistance be provided to the injured” and called for a report into the attack. [2] Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed “regret” over the casualties, sending his “best wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured in the blast.” [2] The prime minister directed authorities to expedite rescue operations and provide all possible facilities to those affected. [4] “The complete elimination of Fitna-al-Khawarij and terrorists operating with foreign backing is essential for national security,” he said. [2]

Context of Rising Militancy in Most Dangerous Countries

The attack targeted the Old Police Lines complex in Kohat, a city in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that houses regional police headquarters, the Counter-Terrorism Department, the Special Branch, and other key security units. [5] The attack is one of the deadliest assaults on Pakistan’s security forces in recent months and comes amid a sharp rise in militant violence across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and neighboring Balochistan. [5] Pakistani officials say militant groups have intensified attacks on police stations, military convoys, and government facilities since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. [5] Islamabad has repeatedly accused militant groups operating from Afghanistan territory of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, including factions linked to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. [5] Pakistan has witnessed a significant increase in terrorist attacks over the past five years, with independent security research groups describing the recent surge as one of the country’s worst periods of violence in decades. [5] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has remained the epicenter of many attacks targeting police, soldiers, and government institutions. [5]

What to watch next: Security forces continued clearing the site while the investigation remained ongoing, with several militants initially holed up inside the Special Branch section of the complex.